In the coaching and developmental world, you should always maintain client confidentiality but it is of course up to the individuals what they share with other people. I never fail to be amazed however when people find out that friends or colleagues are accessing support and come out with phrases like “I didn’t think they needed that kind of thing” or “I always thought they were quite resilient” etc.
A few things spring to mind in these circumstances:
1) Performance coaching or support doesn’t have to start with a performance problem!
Often those who want to continue their ongoing professional or personal development will engage with some form of coaching or 1to1 support in order enable this. It can be as much about polishing performance as fixing of faults!
2) Ongoing support is often part of the regime of the resilient!
Like any machine we all need some form of ongoing maintenance if we want to keep ourselves in good order and at peak efficiency. Whilst we are all different, the more resilient amongst us often find that ongoing dialogue and support is essential to the maintenance of good mental health and improved wellbeing.
So, if you find that someone you know is accessing support, don’t fuel the fires of stigma because of ignorance or assumption. Ask yourself instead whether you yourself might benefit from a bit of 1to1 time and then find someone you trust and start the conversation!
(And if they challenge you without permission, you can always force strangle them!!)
All the best
Phil @ Lantern
